I’ve recently entered a contest to win a copy of The Questory of Root Karbunkulus by Kamilla Reid from The Friendly Book Nook. Click here for your chance to win this book. I don’t typically read fantasy, but what really caught my interest in both the post and the book was the accompanying book trailer. After I watched that, I was hooked.

This got me thinking about the concept of book trailers. It is an interesting idea to use a short video to sell a book. Trailers have been used to grab the attention of movie goers and sell films for ages. In such a competitive market, it could be just the tool needed to increase sales and readership. It’s not that much different than the blurb on the back of the book. The key is to make it compelling. If it’s not, it could turn people off just as quickly as it can get them excited.

I decided to do a little research. None of the books I have in my upcoming reads queue have book trailers, so I looked for any that might have been created for books that I absolutely loved. I wanted to see if the trailer would have sold me or not. I found book trailers for four books that I really enjoyed. Here they are with links to my book review, the book trailer and a short review of the book trailer itself:

For me, this book trailer was okay, but by trying to cover everything, it didn’t highlight what made the book so delightful. It would be difficult to do that in such a short clip. I did appreciate how the imagery matched the book. The actress playing Willie’s mom didn’t do much for me, but that might not have been a factor had I not already read this book. I’m not sure that I would have read it based on this book trailer alone, but it wouldn’t have turned me off, either.

This trailer really coordinates well with the book’s website, which is awesome. Other than imagery, it doesn’t provide much actual information about the book. It’s an imaginative way to showcase complimentary blurbs about the book.

This is an interesting trailer. It shows some clips from the novel at a distance. I think the Tegan and Sarah song fits very well with the mood. I liked this trailer and I think it accomplishes what it sets out to do.

In the end, I think that book trailers are a great way to get more information on a book you are thinking of reading or purchasing. When they are good, they are really good. When they aren’t, well… Just with covers, you shouldn’t judge a book entirely by it’s trailer. Book trailers are just another tool in your informed reader’s toolbox. When the tool fits the job, great! When it doesn’t, there are many other tools available.

Have you used book trailers when researching a book? What have your experiences been?

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